Dimensional Kaguya Ōtsutsuki

"I'm not in the mood to play house with you all today. I have other matters to attend to, but don't worry—we'll meet again someday."

The voice, as ethereal as the sound of heavenly bells, drifted from afar. The silver-haired girl in the fox mask had already vanished, disappearing into the vast expanse of the night.

The white-haired man with glasses stared intently in the direction she had disappeared, his brows furrowed slightly, but he said nothing more.

"Special Investigator Arima, she shouldn't have gotten far. Should we pursue her?" a young investigator hurriedly ran over, speaking quickly and anxiously.

It turned out that this white-haired man with glasses was none other than the so-called "CCG's Reaper," Kishou Arima, one of CCG's most formidable assets and the strongest operative in the organization.

On the surface, Arima was part of CCG, but he harbored secrets that no one else knew.

"There's no need," Arima said, rising to his feet. He picked up his suitcase and turned to leave. "None of you are a match for her. Chasing her will only result in needless deaths. Inform the CCG forces to remain on standby and secure Cochlea. Conduct a full investigation and report the findings back to me."

"Investigate?" The young investigator glanced around at the ruins of Cochlea, which was now nothing more than a pile of rubble. Puzzled, he asked, "But the place has already been destroyed. Is there really anything left to investigate?"

Arima paused and replied, "She wouldn't have come here without a reason, and she certainly wouldn't have stayed here for several days for no purpose."

"Special Investigator, are you saying…?" The young investigator's eyes lit up with understanding.

"There must be something here she needed, which is why she came to Cochlea," Arima continued. "Now that she's left, there are only two possibilities: either she's found what she was looking for, or she's confirmed that it wasn't here."

"Then… she found it?" The young investigator asked cautiously.

"That's correct," Arima replied. "Judging from her expression, it's safe to say she found it."

With that, Arima said no more and walked away.

"But… wasn't she wearing a mask?" The young investigator scratched his head, baffled. A moment later, however, his face lit up with admiration. "As expected of Special Investigator Arima—he can read her expression even through a mask!"

For some reason, most of Kaguya's activities always took place in the deep hours of the night, under the cover of moonless skies and dark winds. Perhaps it was simply because she was naturally nocturnal.

Operating at night did have its advantages. For one, there was no need to worry about being seen by passersby. After all, if someone were to spot her flying through the air in broad daylight, she might be mistaken for some sort of demon fox or ghostly witch—that would certainly be troublesome.

In fact, something like that had happened to her once before. A cute young girl had fainted on the spot after seeing Kaguya descend from the sky. It had been an incredibly awkward situation for Kaguya. She couldn't just leave the girl lying there—what if some pervert came along and tried to take advantage of her?

In the end, Kaguya had no choice but to wait several hours for the girl to regain consciousness before she could leave. For someone like Kaguya, who didn't have a phone or any other device to pass the time, the wait had been sheer torture.

Now, it was past nine o'clock at night. The streets were gradually becoming quieter, with only the occasional pedestrian hurrying by.

Due to the chaos caused by the recent events at Cochlea, the surrounding city was still under strict surveillance. Patrols of investigators and police officers could be seen everywhere, their presence clearly unsettling to the few civilians who remained outdoors. Occasionally, there were sightings of ghouls as well, though they appeared to be avoiding conflict as much as possible, likely due to the heightened security.

However, not everyone could make it home before nightfall, and not everyone could make it home safely.

For example, a distant alley echoed with the panicked cries of someone calling for help.

Kaguya shook her head and sighed softly. "The world has really gone downhill. Even this late at night, people are still engaging in such… vigorous activities."

Of course, she wasn't referring to anything wholesome. The noise clearly came from an assault or robbery of some sort.

Kaguya wasn't particularly inclined to involve herself in such matters. To her, it was nothing more than survival of the fittest—if someone couldn't protect themselves, they had only their own weakness to blame. In this respect, Kaguya's thoughts were increasingly aligning with those of Esdeath.

Just as Kaguya was about to lift her foot to leave, her expression froze. The voice echoing from the alley sounded strangely familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

After thinking for a moment, she finally recalled who it was. Her forehead immediately twitched with faint black lines of exasperation. What a coincidence. How is it possible that I've run into this girl again?

Sigh, forget it. I'll help her one more time.

Kaguya reached up and removed her mask. Her mist-like, silvery-white hair instantly transformed into inky black locks. Her outfit also shifted into the Liuli set she had worn before. If, earlier, Kaguya's appearance had been that of a breathtakingly beautiful goddess, she now looked more like an energetic high school girl, brimming with vitality.

When Kaguya arrived at the dimly lit alley, she saw a group of ghouls surrounding a girl with golden-brown hair who was cowering in the corner. The ghouls were sneering and licking their lips with predatory anticipation.

"Hey, this little girl looks pretty good—soft skin and tender flesh," one of the ghouls jeered.

"Yeah, she'll definitely taste amazing," another chimed in.

"Lucky us. Running into a stray little lamb," added a third, laughing sinisterly.

"I haven't eaten in days," growled another, his voice thick with hunger.

"It's all because of those damned bastards who hog all the territory. They've left us starving!" spat one ghoul bitterly.

"Well, no matter. This one might be small, but if we ration her, she could last us a week," another said, flashing a savage grin.

The ghouls slowly approached, their scarlet eyes gleaming in the darkness, their ghastly grins exposing razor-sharp teeth. The brown-haired girl curled into a tight ball against the cold wall, trembling violently with fear. Her red-rimmed eyes were brimming with unshed tears, and streaks of tears stained her delicate cheeks.

Her heart was filled with regret. If only she had gone home earlier! But she had lingered to play a little longer with her friends, clinging to a false sense of security.

Now, in the dead of night, she had encountered her worst nightmare—a group of ghouls.

It's over. I'm going to be eaten.

The golden-brown-haired girl bit her lip hard, trying to stop her tears from falling. She stared in terror at the ghouls slowly advancing toward her, her mind filled with thoughts of despair. In particular, she thought of her best friend.

Touka, I guess I'll never see you again…

Just then, a blade as radiant as a streak of moonlight suddenly cut through the darkness like a meteor. The long sword's blade shimmered with a mesmerizing azure light, its brilliance cascading like moonlight into the alley. It erupted into countless dazzling streaks of frost-white energy, sharp and piercing like ice shards that chilled the air to the bone.

Before the ghouls could react, the blade's frigid brilliance swept through them with the speed of lightning.

Amid anguished screams, blood sprayed wildly, and flesh was torn apart.

Crimson droplets of blood scattered through the air like a macabre rain, drifting down like countless petals. There was a haunting, morbid beauty to the scene.

The brown-haired girl, huddled in the corner, stared wide-eyed at the spectacle before her, her face blank with shock. Her mind was a blank slate, unable to process what had just happened.

What she did know, however, was that this scene—this image of crimson petals cascading like cherry blossoms—had already been etched deeply into her memory.

In the dark alleyway, several mutilated corpses lay scattered in disarray. Most had been decapitated, while others were sliced cleanly in half. The cuts were smooth and precise, and the ground was strewn with viscera and intestines. The crimson blood had soaked the pavement, filling the air with a heavy stench of iron.

"This blade is pretty sharp," Kaguya remarked, casually twirling the sword in her hand with a graceful flourish, sending droplets of blood flying off the blade. The sword's shimmering azure glow returned instantly, as pristine as before.

It was worth noting that ghouls' bodies were far tougher than those of humans. Their skin and muscles were incredibly resilient, making them difficult to harm even with conventional weapons. In fact, most ordinary blades would break upon contact with their flesh, and even reinforced weapons would require significant effort to cause damage.

Yet, just now, Kaguya had wielded this sword without using any additional energy or chakra. With nothing but the blade's natural sharpness, she had effortlessly sliced through the ghouls, cutting them down with a speed and ease that would leave most stunned.

Kaguya was thoroughly satisfied.

She turned her head and saw that the golden-haired girl was still staring at her in a daze, her expression blank and frozen as if she hadn't fully registered what had just happened.

"Hey, are you okay?" Kaguya called out twice, her voice casual.

The golden-haired girl remained stunned, unresponsive.

"Don't tell me you've been scared stupid," Kaguya muttered, leaning down and waving her hand in front of the girl's face with curiosity.

It was only then that the golden-haired girl seemed to snap out of her trance. Her face instantly contorted with fear, and she let out a startled cry as she scrambled backward in panic. She stumbled and fell, landing heavily on the ground.

"You… you…"

"You what? Is this how you repay the person who saved your life?" Kaguya stood up straight and said bluntly, "If I'd known this was the reaction I'd get, I might as well have let the ghouls eat you."

The golden-haired girl froze, her mind catching up to the situation. It finally dawned on her that the silver-haired girl wearing the fox mask before her was the one who had just saved her from becoming a ghoul's meal.

"Forget it," Kaguya said, waving her hand dismissively. "I really don't understand how someone as clueless as you managed to survive this long without dying. It's a miracle, honestly." She turned around and added, "You should hurry home. The night isn't a time for girls to wander around alone."

With that, Kaguya turned to leave. It was already late at night, and if she waited any longer, the restaurants and convenience stores might close. For some reason, she'd been feeling unusually hungry lately. Then again, after going so long without eating, it was only natural to feel that way.

"Wait!" The golden-haired girl hurriedly got to her feet, stepping away from the bloody corpses as she chased after Kaguya. "Wait!"

"What now?" Kaguya turned back, her tone growing impatient. "What else do you want?"

The golden-haired girl bowed deeply, her voice filled with gratitude. "Thank you so much for saving me. I truly can't thank you enough."

"Forget the thanks. Just go home already," Kaguya said, waving her hand indifferently.

"There's… one more thing I'd like to ask," the golden-haired girl stammered, hesitating.

"What is it?"

"If possible…" The girl paused, her face turning slightly red as she nervously wrung her fingers together. She spoke softly, "Could you… please take me home?"

The memory of the terrifying encounter with the ghouls still lingered in her mind, making her shudder with fear. If Kaguya hadn't saved her, she'd undoubtedly already be dead.

"No," Kaguya replied bluntly, rejecting her without hesitation. "I have more important things to do."

"What?" The golden-haired girl's face turned anxious. "Please, I'm begging you! It'll only take a moment—it's not far."

"I already told you," Kaguya said irritably, "I have other things to do. Those ghouls are gone now. What else could possibly threaten you? Unless you're so unlucky that you run into more ghouls, which, honestly, seems unlikely."

"But… but…" The golden-haired girl's eyes reddened, tears threatening to spill over.

"What's there to cry about now?" Kaguya sighed, somewhat helplessly.

The golden-haired girl squatted down and began to sob quietly.

"All right, all right, I'll take you home. Happy now?" Kaguya said irritably. "But let me make this clear—I'm leaving the moment you're at your doorstep."

Kaguya had always found it hard to handle crying girls. Whenever she saw one, it annoyed her to no end.

Of course, that only applied to pretty girls. If it were someone who looked like a dinosaur, she'd leave them to fend for themselves.

"Really?" The golden-haired girl froze for a moment, then quickly stood up. Her face, still streaked with tears, lit up with gratitude. "Thank you so much! I'm really sorry to trouble you."

"All right, enough with the thanks. Call it my bad luck. Now, where do you live?"

"Yoyogi."

"That close?"

"Uh… hehe, yeah…" The golden-haired girl laughed awkwardly.

The Yoyogi neighborhood wasn't far from their current location. It was just three or four streets and a few intersections away, about a ten-minute walk.

The two walked in silence along the empty streets. Kaguya remained calm and composed, entirely unbothered by the situation. For her, there was nothing to fear. The golden-haired girl, however, was visibly uneasy, her body language tense and her expression filled with nervousness.

"So…" The girl's voice broke the quiet, disrupting the stillness of the deserted street. "Have we met before?"

"No," Kaguya replied casually.

"But… I think I remember your mask," the girl said hesitantly. "I feel like I've seen it somewhere."

"You must be imagining things," Kaguya said dryly.

"Is… is that so?" The girl's delicate face turned a little awkward, and she didn't know what else to say.

The atmosphere quickly turned cold again, the oppressive silence of the street making the tension palpable.

"Um… why do you wear a fox mask?" The golden-haired girl hesitated for a moment before summoning her courage to ask.

She could tell Kaguya was growing impatient, but the deathly silence of the streets unnerved her. What was normally a ten-minute walk now felt excruciatingly long and agonizing. She couldn't help but speak up, feeling that even small talk might bring her some comfort.

Kaguya suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned to face the girl. "What if I told you I'm a ghoul who wears the mask to hide my identity?" she said with mock seriousness, her tone teasing yet cold.

"A… ghoul?"

The golden-haired girl froze for a moment before bursting into laughter, covering her mouth as she giggled. "Don't joke around like that. If you were really a ghoul, I'd already have been eaten by now!"

"Who said I was joking?" Kaguya's tone turned icy, and her eyes glinted faintly with a crimson hue.

"T-That's impossible!" The girl forced a nervous smile. "You're just trying to scare me, right?"

"I'm not in the mood to scare you," Kaguya said coldly. "But, if you're so eager to be eaten, I could grant your wish."

As the golden-haired girl froze in shock, Kaguya began to take slow, deliberate steps toward her. A sinister chuckle escaped her lips, sending chills down the girl's spine.

However, just then, a dull, thunderous sound abruptly echoed through the night.

"Get away!"

A black shadow suddenly appeared from above, moving like a streak of lightning. In the blink of an eye, it hurtled toward Kaguya with incredible speed, aiming directly for her.

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